To prevent slipping of footwear, one has, up to now, used fixed studs or loose spikes on a heel or sole which are fastened to a shoe with straps or by a rubber case around the front part of the foot and a rubber strap behind the heel.
These devices give good protection against slipping on ice and packed snow. The fixed studs, however, badly damage parquet floors or linoleum floor coverings and the loose spikes are difficult to put on and take off.